Transport Committee on March 7th, 2016

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Thank you.

I'm a member of the status of women committee as well, and I know that at home for me, there is a need to increase the number of women's transition shelters. I know that is part of the responsibility you share with the Minister of Status of Women.

What efforts have you made to collaborate with the Minister of Status of Women to accomplish this end?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Thank you for your question.

Through you, Madam Chair, we consulted with a vast majority of members of Parliament and with cabinet colleagues about the new money. One of the areas that Minister Hajdu has identified is investment into transitional homes—shelters as well as transitional homes—where there's long-term support available for anyone fleeing domestic violence.

The cost to the economy of not investing into that area is huge. It's about $7 billion that our economy loses each year because we don't have enough places for women to go. Imagine the hardship on them and their families with the loss of their potential, the loss of the economic potential, and the way they can contribute to building the kind of communities that we all desire to live in. It is about helping those individuals, but it's also about building a society that we can all take pride in. It ties into the economic success of our society.

I am really passionate about it, as is Minister Hajdu and many of the other people at the table. We need to invest in this infrastructure in order to provide the proper support to women and children fleeing domestic violence. We are working very closely with her department on that and with Minister Duclos' department as well. This is a shared responsibility included in the mandate letter from the Prime Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Minister.

Mr. Arnold.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to ask the minister about the criteria around the decision to move the expenditures of the Champlain Bridge basically into general expense rather than recover it through tolls. Would the same criteria apply to an infrastructure project, say in western Canada, the Trans-Canada Highway that moves goods and people from all of Canada to our western shores and back? Would the same type of criteria apply there and would the funding flow on an equal level with that corridor being, in some opinions, far more important?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Let me make this absolutely clear. It was not my decision or this government's decision to flow the tolling revenue from the Champlain Bridge into the general revenue. That decision was made when this project was procured. The whole procurement process was designed in a way that all the cost of building the bridge, maintaining the bridge, and paying the interest to the private sector were built into the capital budget and the fiscal framework. There was a decision made at that time that all the tolling revenue would go into the general revenue and not be tied into the Champlain Bridge. It wasn't a decision that this government made as to where those resources would go.

On any particular project that you have in western Canada that is similar to that, please bring that to our attention, and I'll be able to give you a more informed answer. I can't just speculate on a hypothetical situation, but if you have a particular project in mind, please share that with us and we will provide more information relating to that particular project and where it fits into the subject of tolling.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you.

I'll share the rest of my time with Ms. Watts.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Thank you very much.

I have two questions.

We know that the federal waste-water regulations have changed and that a lot of our regional authorities and some cities have to upgrade their systems. They will need $3.4 billion to meet one of the targets and an additional $14.6 for the full compliance. Is there going to be a special fund set up to meet those federal requirements for cities and regions?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

It is my understanding that municipalities will have to comply with federal regulations by 2020 or 2021.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

But there's a huge cost implication.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

One of the reasons we designed the green infrastructure fund is to assist municipalities to invest in water and waste-water infrastructure. With $20 billion over the next 10 years, the municipalities will qualify for funding under that funding envelope in order for them to upgrade their water and waste-water facilities.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

I asked the question because a green infrastructure fund was set up way back in 2009 and waste-water infrastructure was under that.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

This is different.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

That's what I mean. Is it different and will you be adding additional dollars for the compliance of these regulations?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

The whole $20 billion in green infrastructure—

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Yes.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

—part of that is to build the capacity of the municipalities to comply with federal regulations.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Perfect.

In terms of domestic violence, which you were just talking about, would those dollars flow from the federal government to the provincial government? It's under the mandate and jurisdiction of the provincial government to build transition housing, shelters, all of those things. I know—as I'm sure do many mayors around here—the struggle in terms of getting those facilities built in a community. Would you earmark those dollars for that specific mandate?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

We are at a very early stage on the allocation of the funding in terms of where and how much should go for each of the categories that qualify for funding under social infrastructure, which is $20 billion over 10 years, but this is a need that has been identified and we are keenly aware of that need.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Yes, it's been a need for a very long time, but the challenge always has been getting the dollars out of the provincial government to make sure that those facilities are built and those measures are undertaken.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Some of these shelters and transitional homes are provided by the non-profit sector; some are provided by the municipalities, and some are provided by the provinces.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Operationally, not capitally.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

I'm talking about capital dollars, because we don't support operational.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

I understand that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Time is up again.

Ms. Duncan.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I have a follow-up question. It's, an interesting one that relates to when we're building infrastructure that crosses international borders. I understand Windsor-Detroit is now called Gordie Howe. Am I right about that?